Tathra
Quiet coastal town surrounded by superb National Parks
Tathra is a small coastal township (population 1571) situated high on the bluff above its wharf 446 km south of Sydney via the Princes Highway.
The area west of what is now Tathra was first settled by Europeans when pastoralists began illegally squatting on crown land in the 1820s and 1830s.
Following an enquiry into the transport facilities in the Bega district in 1851 the Illawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Company was formed.
Tathra came into existence as a small jetty which served as a shipping outlet for a group of local farmers led by Daniel Gowing. Previously the nearest port had been Merimbula 25 km away and Gowing had offered financial reward to anyone willing to ship produce to a point further north. It was replaced in 1861-62 by a wharf which was erected out of funds donated by local farmers and the Illawarra Company.
The township was surveyed in 1861 and regular shipping commenced in 1862. Passengers travelled to and from Sydney with pigs and produce for company (hence its contemporary fame as the 'Pig and Whistle Line').
The wharf was built of turpentine driven into solid rock. The site was chosen due to the shelter it offered from southerly winds and because it was the best site available between Merimbula and Bermagui.
The population increased after crown lands were opened up to free selection in 1861. The growth is reflected in the physical evolution of the wharf. The Illawarra Company built a cargo shed in 1866 and growing usage led to the enlargement of the wharf in 1873, 1878, 1886, 1889, 1903 and 1912. Amongst other changes a cattle yard was built in 1901, the existing two-storey shed was constructed in 1907 and a jib crane added in 1912.
The absence of a railway line and poor roads made the steamer service crucial. The Princes Highway from Batemans Bay to the Victorian border was still gravel in 1940. South Coast shipping finally disappeared in 1956.
Things to see:
Tathra Wharf
Although Tathra wharf was popular with anglers (and still is) its deterioration led to an order for its demolition in 1973 but local action and support from the National Trust saw its preservation and conservation. Sadly it is now the only coastal steamer wharf remaining on the New South Wales coast. According to the Register of the National Estate there are only six timber wharves still listed for preservation.
Tathra Maritime Museum
The Tathra Wharf site also features a Maritime Museum with displays concerning Tathra's place in steam-shipping history and its popularity as a tourist destination earlier in the century (open seven days a week from 8.30-6 and the entry fee is negligible, tel: (02) 6494 4062).
Water activities
Today Tathra offers excellent fishing, surfing, swimming and sailboarding, particularly on Tathra Beach at the north of the town. Mogareka Inlet, at the northern end of Tathra Beach is the wide sandy mouth of the Bega River. It is ideal for children, possesses boat-launching ramps, and it offers canoe and sailing craft for hire in summer and waterskiing, windsurfing and excellent prawning in season. The wharf offers excellent fishing and can be found on the headland at the northeastern tip of the township. The best boat-launching facilities are at Kianinny Bay, just south of Tathra via a turnoff from the Snowy Mountains Highway.
Kianinny Bay
Kianinny Bay is at the northeastern tip of Bournda National Park, a known fossil site which covers an impressive span of coastline consisting of steep cliffs and rugged rock masses in the upper half and excellent surfing and fishing beaches to the south. The two halfs are neatly bisected by Wallagoot Lagoon. This 500-hectare lake is an unspoilt area ideal for canoeing, sailing, windsurfing, beach and rock fishing, prawning (in season), safe family swimming in the shallows and, on the southern side of the lake, picnicking at Hobart Beach and Scott's Bay. There is a boat ramp at Wallagoot Gap, just north of Turingal Head at the mouth of Wallagoot Lake, which offers fine views back across the lake and down the coast. It can be reached via a walking track that starts at the Wallagoot Lake Boat Club.
The park stretches from Tathra down to an area just north of Merimbula and contains a wide variety of birdlife and other fauna, including grey kangaroos, swamp and red-necked wallabies which can be seen grazing on the shores of Bondi Lake in the mornings and evenings. Both sections of the park are noted for their numerous and excellent bushwalking tracks. See Merimbula for more detail on the southern section.
The northern section can be reached via Kianinny Bay where there are picnic facilities and a lookout on the northern headland. A 9-km walking track leads south from the timber bridge across the creek at Kianinny through precipitous cliffs, fallen debris and tiny inlets to Turingal Head. Other shorter tracks branch off from the main route.
Phone the National Parks and Wildlife Service district office at Merimbula for more information and maps, tel: (02) 6495 5000.
Mimosa Rocks National Park
5 km north of Tathra is picturesque Mimosa Rocks National Park. One of NSW's most attractive parks it stretches north for 17 km along a strip of coastal beaches, caves, cliffs, rocky coves, massive offshore rock stacks, headlands, lagoons, coastal lakes and a heavily wooded hinterland, including patches of rainforest. The park supports a rich and diverse range of birdlife, including honeyeaters, lorikeets, wrens, thornbills, cormorants, great egrets, sea eagles, goshawks, crested terns, silver gulls, pied oystercatchers, hooded plovers, topknot pigeons and brown cuckoo-doves. There are also sugar gliders, ring-tailed possums, brushtail possums, bandicoots, wallabies and some echidnas and goannas. Snorkelling, surfing, rock and beach fishing, swimming, spelunking, picnicking, exploring and bushwalking, coastal birdwatching and foreshore fossicking can all be successfully pursued.
Visitor facilities are excellent and the area is generally level, making bushwalking easy. The roads here can be narrow, dusty and winding so drive with caution. Camping areas with picnic facilities can be found at Middle, Gillards and Aragunnu Beaches and at Picnic Point but they are not suitable for caravans and you must bring your own water. Picnic facilities also exist at Bithery Inlet, Moon Bay and Nelson Bay.
The Aragunnu site is located amidst trees atop a cliff by a lengthy beach. Just north at Mimosa Rocks and Bunga Heads are a number of rocky coves ideal for snorkelling and rock fishing. Shipwrecks, notably the Mimosa in 1863, have occurred on the rocks. The largest of the park's many Aboriginal middens can be found near Aragunnu and a seasonal ranger provides talks and activities at Christmas time.
Heading south, the approach to the Picnic Point site along Wapengo Lake Road and through banksia and stringybark forest is impressive. Middle Beach is popular with surfers. The camping site is a short walk from the car park and a walking track leads to Middle Lagoon. Nelson Lagoon is beautiful in the spring with its birdlife and blooming wattles. Moon Bay, 250 m from the car park at the south of the park, near Tathra, is particularly popular with surfers. The half-kilometre walk to Wajurda Point affords exceptional views along the coastline.
Tourist Information
Tathra Tourist Centre
Tathra Beach Supermarket
Andy Poole Dve
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1436
Facsimile: (02) 6494 4062
Hotels
Tathra Hotel/Motel
Bega St
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1101
Resorts
Kianinny Cabin Resort
Snowy Mountains Hwy
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1990, 1800 064 225
Facsimile: (02) 6494 1922
Rating: ***1/2
Apartments
Bayview Holiday Apartments
1 Bega St
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1306
Esther Lodge Holiday Apartments
31 Esther St
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1404
Facsimile: (02) 6494 1406
Rating: ***1/2
Mogareeka Court Holiday Apartments
9 Esther St
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 4847
Facsimile: (02) 6494 4847
Sapphire Court Holiday Apartments
Cnr Francis Hollis & Edna Dves
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1980
Facsimile: (02) 6494 5012
Rating: ***
Motels
Surfside Motel
Cnr Andy Poole & Francis Hollis Dves
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1378
Facsimile: (02) 6494 1378
Rating: ***
Apartments
Tathra Beach House Holiday Apartments
57 Andy Poole Dve
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6499 9900
Facsimile: (02) 6499 9950
Rating: ****1/2
The Waves
8 Esther St
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1465
Rating: ***1/2
Caravan Parks
Bournda State Camping Ground & Recreation Area
Bournda Rd
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6495 5001
Rating: *
Tathra Beach Motor Village
Andy Poole Dve
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1577
Facsimile: (02) 6494 1023
Rating: ***1/2
Tathra Beach Tourist Park
Andy Poole Dve
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1302
Facsimile: (02) 6494 1025
Rating: ***
Countryside Caravan Park
Kalaru Via Tathra
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1417
Rating: ***1/2
Seabreeze Holiday Park
41Andy Poole Dve
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1350
Facsimile: (02) 6494 4088
Rating: ****1/2
Restaurants
Feather Fin & Pizza
63 Andy Poole Dve
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1384
High Tide Restaurant
Andy Poole Dve
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1688
Mimosa Rocks Restaurant
61 Andy Poole Dve
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1483
Tahra harboumasters REstaurant
15 Bega St
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1344
Tathra Bowling Club, Ocean Paradise Asian Food Restaurant
Andy Poole Dve
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 4226
Tathra Motel/Hotel
Bega St
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 1101
Cafés
The Cove Cuisine & Collectables
37 Andy Poole Dve
Tathra NSW 2550
Telephone: (02) 6494 5077
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